This invention relates generally to recreational vehicles and the like and in particular to a built-in awning arrangement for use in conjunction with such vehicles.
Awning systems for use on recreational vehicles are generally well known in the art. A wide variety of manually operated and motor operated awning systems are manufactured, for example, by Fiamma S.p.A. of Italy, one recent series of designs being known as the "Fiamma F45" deluxe awning. This awning, and, so far as is known, all other commercially available recreational vehicle awnings, are installed externally of the exterior walls of the recreational vehicle (commonly known as an "RV"). The awning system including the elongated reel for the awning material and the drive means therefor are typically housed in an elongated housing, which housing is mounted externally by means of brackets designed for the purpose on the exterior wall of the vehicle. This external arrangement tends to detract from the overall appearance of the RV. Furthermore, awning systems of this type cannot be easily installed on a horizontally curved wall. Due to their rollers or reels, they are suitable for installation on straight or flat surfaces. However, the trend in the RV industry, as in the automotive industry, is to exterior walls having not only horizontal curvature but vertical (compound) curvature. The existing externally mounted awning systems are unsuitable for installation on these curved aerodynamic surfaces.